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* The Glass factory. *
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,:-**£#@@# Several Centuries After It Had Last #@@#£**-:,
,,:-**£#@@ Belonged To Us, We Went On An Outing To @@#£**-:,,
,,,:-**£#@ The Glass Factory That Bore Our Family @#£**-:,,,
,,,,:-**£# Name. It Had Changed Owners Many Times #£**-:,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ Since Our Ancestors Death, And Then £**-:,,,,,
,,,,,,:-** Stood Abandoned For A Long While. **-:,,,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ Finally, The Natural End Station For £**-:,,,,,
,,,,:-**£# The Buildings That Survive: A Museum, #£**-:,,,,
,,,:-**£#@ And A Gift Shop. @#£**-:,,,
,,:-**£#@@ @@#£**-:,,
,:-**£#@@# There'S A Long Time Since My Family #@@#£**-:,
,,:-**£#@@ Made Anything. By Many, We Would Be @@#£**-:,,
,,,:-**£#@ Considered Poor. @#£**-:,,,
,,,,:-**£# #£**-:,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ There Are Two Main Factory Buildings, £**-:,,,,,
,,,,,,:-** Domed Things Of Several Floors, Made In **-:,,,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ Yellow Brick. Large But Narrow Windows, £**-:,,,,,
,,,,:-**£# Reminescent Of Some Cathedral. #£**-:,,,,
,,,:-**£#@ Custom-Made Glass, Of Course, Large And @#£**-:,,,
,,:-**£#@@ LeadEd, And Ashen. A Bit Too Dark To Be @@#£**-:,,
,:-**£#@@# Practical. On The Eastern Building, #@@#£**-:,
,,:-**£#@@ Some Are Shattered. @@#£**-:,,
,,,:-**£#@ @#£**-:,,,
,,,,:-**£# The Other One Is Publicly Open. There'S #£**-:,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ A Museum, With Wax Figures Of My Great £**-:,,,,,
,,,,,,:-** Great Great Grandfather, Or Something. **-:,,,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ Various Tools (Or Replicas) Laid Out On £**-:,,,,,
,,,,:-**£# Tables, With Explaining Texts. A Lot Of #£**-:,,,,
,,,:-**£#@ Glass Of Varying Thickness. @#£**-:,,,
,,:-**£#@@ @@#£**-:,,
,:-**£#@@# ** #@@#£**-:,
,,:-**£#@@ ** ** @@#£**-:,,
,,,:-**£#@ ------- * * ------- @#£**-:,,,
,,,,:-**£# ** ** #£**-:,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ ** £**-:,,,,,
,,,,,,:-** **-:,,,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ I Quickly Sneak Out, And Climb Into The £**-:,,,,,
,,,,:-**£# Other Building. The Contrast Is #£**-:,,,,
,,,:-**£#@ Overwhelming. It Must Have Stood @#£**-:,,,
,,:-**£#@@ Derelict For A Long Time, Windows @@#£**-:,,
,:-**£#@@# Broken, Metallic Trash And Pools Of #@@#£**-:,
,,:-**£#@@ Dark Glass All Over The Floor. No @@#£**-:,,
,,,:-**£#@ Electric Lights, But I Can See By The @#£**-:,,,
,,,,:-**£# Light That Shines In Wherever The Dark #£**-:,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ Windows Are Missing A Pane. £**-:,,,,,
,,,,,,:-** **-:,,,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ However, The Greatest Difference Is The £**-:,,,,,
,,,,:-**£# Higher Floors: This Building Has None. #£**-:,,,,
,,,:-**£#@ It Is One Massive Hall, Stretching Away @#£**-:,,,
,,:-**£#@@ Infinitely Above Me. Somewhere Up There @@#£**-:,,
,:-**£#@@# Is Some Great Iron Latticework, From #@@#£**-:,
,,:-**£#@@ Where Chains Are Suspended, And Parts @@#£**-:,,
,,,:-**£#@ Of Machinery Has Been Falling Down. @#£**-:,,,
,,,,:-**£# #£**-:,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ There Is, In The Middle Of The Great £**-:,,,,,
,,,,,,:-** Hall, A Thin Spiral Staircase That **-:,,,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ Leads Up There. I Sneak Over There, And £**-:,,,,,
,,,,:-**£# Take A Few Reluctant Steps. After Just #£**-:,,,,
,,,:-**£#@ A Revolution, I Notice That For Each @#£**-:,,,
,,:-**£#@@ Step The Building Starts To Glow, The @@#£**-:,,
,:-**£#@@# Bricks Turning A Dark Red, And Then #@@#£**-:,
,,:-**£#@@ Orange, All The Piled Up Debree Being @@#£**-:,,
,,,:-**£#@ Lit From Behind. @#£**-:,,,
,,,,:-**£# #£**-:,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ I Stop Ready To Run Down And Out, But £**-:,,,,,
,,,,,,:-** There'S Someone Else On The Staircase **-:,,,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ With Me Now, Pressed Close. He'S £**-:,,,,,
,,,,:-**£# Looking Like Me, Short Hair And Thin #£**-:,,,,
,,,:-**£#@ Arms, But With Ears From Some Animal, @#£**-:,,,
,,:-**£#@@ And More Disturbingly, Completely Made @@#£**-:,,
,:-**£#@@# Of Dark Liquid glass. #@@#£**-:,
,,:-**£#@@ @@#£**-:,,
,,,:-**£#@ ** @#£**-:,,,
,,,,:-**£# ** ** #£**-:,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ ------- * * ------- £**-:,,,,,
,,,,,,:-** ** ** **-:,,,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ ** £**-:,,,,,
,,,,:-**£# #£**-:,,,,
,,,:-**£#@ My Fear Holds Me In Place While He @#£**-:,,,
,,:-**£#@@ Starts Operating Levers And Dials Set @@#£**-:,,
,:-**£#@@# In The Center Of The Staircase. Slowly, #@@#£**-:,
,,:-**£#@@ It Starts Spinning, Circling Upwards. @@#£**-:,,
,,,:-**£#@ It'S An Elevator! I Start To Run @#£**-:,,,
,,,,:-**£# Downwards, But Now The Liquid Boy #£**-:,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ Creature Grabs Hold Of Me. I Try To £**-:,,,,,
,,,,,,:-** Shake Him Off, But He'S Too Strong, And **-:,,,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ Pulls Me Back Up Beside Him. £**-:,,,,,
,,,,:-**£# #£**-:,,,,
,,,:-**£#@ This Time, I Turn Angry Instead. What @#£**-:,,,
,,:-**£#@@ The Hell? Who Is This Guy, Acting Like @@#£**-:,,
,:-**£#@@# This? I Reach Out My Free Arm And Slam #@@#£**-:,
,,:-**£#@@ A Random Lever. Some Metal Bar Is @@#£**-:,,
,,,:-**£#@ Suddenly Released Between Us, Hitting @#£**-:,,,
,,,,:-**£# Him On The Arm, Forcing My Release. I #£**-:,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ Shove Him Off Of Me, And He Falls Into £**-:,,,,,
,,,,,,:-** The Levers, Messing Them Up. **-:,,,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ Immediately, A Thin Rusty Chainmail £**-:,,,,,
,,,,:-**£# Curtain Is Dropped Around Me. But The #£**-:,,,,
,,,:-**£#@ Elevator Also Speeds Up Significantly. @#£**-:,,,
,,:-**£#@@ @@#£**-:,,
,:-**£#@@# The Walls Are Flaring Now, Yellow, #@@#£**-:,
,,:-**£#@@ White, Almost Blue. I Close My Eyes And @@#£**-:,,
,,,:-**£#@ Curl Into A Ball. But Then, The Glass @#£**-:,,,
,,,,:-**£# Boy Screams, A Piercing Sound That #£**-:,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ Forces My Eyes Back Open. I Watch As He £**-:,,,,,
,,,,,,:-** Becomes Too Liquid, His Body Pooling **-:,,,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ Down In His Now Massive Tail, And The £**-:,,,,,
,,,,:-**£# Tip Of It Suddenly Breaks Of In A Glass #£**-:,,,,
,,,:-**£#@ Drop That Falls Toward The Factory @#£**-:,,,
,,:-**£#@@ Floor. @@#£**-:,,
,:-**£#@@# #@@#£**-:,
,,:-**£#@@ He'S Crawling On The Stairs, Unable To @@#£**-:,,
,,,:-**£#@ Keep His Body Upright. Can'T Reach The @#£**-:,,,
,,,,:-**£# Levers, Claws At My Chainmail Cage, #£**-:,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ While His Body Is Turning Into Dark £**-:,,,,,
,,,,,,:-** Pearls. Finally, He'S Lost Too Much Of **-:,,,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ Himself And The Scream Is Cut Short. £**-:,,,,,
,,,,:-**£# The Last Of Him Rains Down. #£**-:,,,,
,,,:-**£#@ @#£**-:,,,
,,:-**£#@@ I Still Can'T Reach The Levers From @@#£**-:,,
,:-**£#@@# Within My Cage. Looking Up, I Try To #@@#£**-:,
,,:-**£#@@ Make Out The Ceiling, But It'S All A @@#£**-:,,
,,,:-**£#@ Whirling Sea Of Colours. Below Me Glows @#£**-:,,,
,,,,:-**£# The Hellfire Of The Factory Walls, But #£**-:,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ Very Faint. I Sit Down, Curl Back Up, £**-:,,,,,
,,,,,,:-** Become Still. **-:,,,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ £**-:,,,,,
,,,,:-**£# ** #£**-:,,,,
,,,:-**£#@ ** ** @#£**-:,,,
,,:-**£#@@ ------- * * ------- @@#£**-:,,
,:-**£#@@# ** ** #@@#£**-:,
,,:-**£#@@ ** @@#£**-:,,
,,,:-**£#@ @#£**-:,,,
,,,,:-**£# A Large Clunk Shakes My Entire Body, #£**-:,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ And Snaps Me Back Into Reality. I'M £**-:,,,,,
,,,,,,:-** Back At The Factory Floor, But The **-:,,,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ Stairs Are Still Moving Slightly, £**-:,,,,,
,,,,:-**£# Clicking In Place, Carrying Me The Last #£**-:,,,,
,,,:-**£#@ Few Centimeters. I Came From Below, @#£**-:,,,
,,:-**£#@@ Somehow. The Chainmail Is Retracted, @@#£**-:,,
,:-**£#@@# And I Slowly Dismount The Stairs. #@@#£**-:,
,,:-**£#@@ @@#£**-:,,
,,,:-**£#@ Shaking And Crying, I Make My Way Over @#£**-:,,,
,,,,:-**£# The Factory Floor, Wading Through Dark #£**-:,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ Glass Marbles. A Quick Glance Down, And £**-:,,,,,
,,,,,,:-** I See There'S Something Faint Inside **-:,,,,,,
,,,,,:-**£ Them. Embryos? Are These Eggs? £**-:,,,,,
,,,,:-**£# #£**-:,,,,
,,,:-**£#@ I Shudder, And Climb Back Out. @#£**-:,,,
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